Tie-plug machine.



No. 778,962. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. M. GARLAND & R. K. GRONKHITE.

TIE PLUG MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 29. 1904.

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. WITNESSES: mvmmm ATTORNEY No. 778,962. PATENTED JAN. 3. 1905. M. GARLAND & R. K. GRONKHITE. TIE PLUG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001220. 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 778,962. PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905. M. GARLAND & R. K. GRONKHITE. TIE PLUG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 20. 1904.

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Wm m g \0 Q WlTNES'S'ES: W INVENTORS 24451. n 4 ATTORNEY No. 778,962. PATBNTED JAN. 3,1905. M. GARLAND & R. K. GRONKHITE.

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WITNESSES: W INVENTORS gv. 02 X 60mm.

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

ATENT FFICE.

ROY K. CRONKHITE AND MICHAEL GARLAND, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN,

ASSIGNORS TO THE M. GARLAND CO., OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

TIE-PLUG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 778,962, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed October 20, 1904. Serial No. 229,325.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, RoY K. CRONKHITE and MICHAEL GARLAND, citizens of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tie-Plug Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is a machine for manufacturing tie-plugs and similar wooden pieces having wedge-shaped or beveled ends, and pertains more particularly to a machine of this type adapted to cut a blank from the end of a board, sever the blank by cutting V-shaped grooves into the upper and lower surfaces, and then passing the pieces so formed lengthwise through a gang of saws, whereby the pieces are severed into aplurality of finished pieces, such as tie-plugs.

The machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which I Figure 1 is a top plan view. Fig. 2 is a top perspective of the machine, together with views of the various forms assumed by the piece as it progresses through the machine. Fig. 3 is a perspective side elevation showing the mechanism for ripping the blank into separate blocks; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged end View broken away in part of the machine, showing the device for feeding the severed blanks through the gang of rip-saws.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the machine consists in a suitable framework carry ing a table 1, through which projects a cutoff saw 2, by which the blanks are cut from the end of a board. This board 3 rests on the table 1 and is carried to the saw by a pair of conveyer-chains 4, having projections 4 The tops of the chains are preferably flush with or slightly below the surface of the table 1. The severed block 5 is carried along the table 1 by the chains 4 and in its travel passes beneath a cutter-head 6, revolubly mounted above the table 1. This cutter-head is provided with knives that cut a V-shaped groove 5 across the upper surface of the blank 5. A similar cutter-head, arranged below the table and 'revolubly mounted on a shaft 7, cuts a similar V-shaped groove 5 in the under surface of the blank 5. The grooves 5 and 5" register with each other and together sever the blank to form two smaller blanks 5 and 5 the adjacent ends of which are beveled to form the beveled faces of the tie-blanks. The upper and lower cutter-heads may be of any suitable construction. The lower cutter-head is omitted from the drawings for the sake of clearness and for the reason that such devices are common in woodworking machines. It is only necessary for the purpose of this invention that they be properly constructed and arranged to sever the blank 5 by cutting V- shaped registering grooves in its upper and lower surfaces. After being severed, as above described, the blanks 5 and 5 are moved forward by the chains 4 and delivered upon a table 8, located at the rear of the machine. They are then fed at right angles to their first line of travel to a conveyor 9, by which they are carried through a gang of ripping-saws 10, and thereby severed to form a plurality of complete plugs.

The mechanism by which the blanks 5 and 5 are fed to the conveyer 9 and the means for adjusting the conveyer 9 to suit different thicknesses of plugs will be described in detail further.

To take the blanks 5 and 5 from the table 8 and deliver them to the conveyer 9, we provide the device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, where 11 is'a push-bar adapted to travel intermittently across the face of the table 8 at right angles to the line of travel of the chains A. The bar 11 is carried by the looped arm 11, the arm being looped to clear the edge of the table 8 when the bar 11 moves across it. The bar 11 is normally held back by a tensioncord 11, operating over the pulley 11. Tension may be maintained in the cord l1 by any suitable means, as by a weight 11. To the lower member of the bent arm 11 is secured the arm of a toggle-lever 12, which is pivotally mounted on the under side of the table 8. To the other arm of lever 12 is secured abar 13, the inner end of which is adapted to be contacted by a cam 14, carried on the shaft 45 of the conveyer 41. Each revolution of the cam 14 pushes the bar 13 back, operates the toggle-lever 12, and shoves the bar 11 forward across the face of the table 8 against the resistance of the tension-cord 11. As soon as the cam 14 recedes the cord 11 draws the bar 11 back to the edge of the table 8. Intermittent movement is thus imparted to the bar 11 to shove the severed blanks 5 and 5 into position under the fingers 9 of the conveyer 9.

The construction of conveyer 9 is shown in Fig. 4:, where 15 15 are sprockets upon which the conveyer-chains 9 9 are mounted. I Finger-bars 9, carried by the chains 9 move the blanks 5 and 5 forward along the table 16 and also serve to hold the blanks down upon the table while passing through the gang of ripping-saws 10, by which the blanks are severed into a plurality of plugs.

To suit different thicknesses of blanks, it is necessary to raise and lower the conveyer 9. This is done by mounting the shafts of sprockets 15 15 in vertically-adjustable boxes 17 17. These boxes are suitably mounted on the table 16 and may be raised or lowered by means of set-screws 17.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 4, the saws 10 project up through the table 16. To admit of quickly removing the saws, so that they may be dressed or filed, we mount them on arbor 10, carried by a hinged bracket 10. This bracket is pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine, the pivot being at its lower end, thereby permitting the saws and their arbor to drop down into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Motion may be imparted to the conveyors, the cutting-knives, and the ripping-saws in any suitable manner, as by belts or gears; but we prefer the arrangement shown in the drawings, in which 18 is a pulley by which all the parts of the machine are driven. The shaft 19 is driven by a belt running to pulley 20 from the drive-shaft 18. Shaft 19 carries a pulley 19, which is belted to the counter-shaft 21, and this shaft in turn operates shaft 22,which carries bevel-pinion 22?, whereby the conveyer 9 is driven. Shaft 22 also carries a sprocket 22", adapted, by means of the sprocket-chain 23, to drive the conveyeroperating shaft 24. Shaft 24: is connected to the sprockets 4: of conveyer 1 by suitable gears 25. A second pulley 19 is mounted on the shaft 19 and is belted to the arbor 26 of the cut-off saw 2. By means of a belt 27, Fig. 2, it also drives the arbor 6 of cutter 6 and likewise the arbor 7 of the lower cutter, above described.

To hold the blanks in place while being carried along the table 1, we provide suitable pressure-fingers 1 and 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

By the means above described we have produced a machine that is capable of rapidly and accurately cutting blanks from the end of a board, severing the blanks, and simultaneously pointing the two severed sections and then ripping the sections so formed into a plurality of tie-plugs, which are discharged automatically from the machine.

What We claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a table; of a cut-off saw; a pair of conveyer-chains traversingsaid table parallel to the plane of said saw; a pair of cutter-heads revolubly mounted one above and one below said table and between said chains; an intermittently-operated push-bar located at the end of said conveyer and adapted to push the material transversely across said table; a second conveyer located above the table and having fingered bars adapted to move the material forward while holding it down upon said table; and a gang of ripping-saws located in the travel of said conveyer.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a table; of a cut-off saw; a pair of conveyer-chains traversing said table parallel to the plane of said saw; a pair of cutter-heads revolubly mounted one above and one below said table and between said chains; an intermittently-operated push-bar located at the end of said conveyer and adapted to push the material transversely across said table; a second pair of conveyer-chains located above said table and carrying fingered bars adapted to move the material forward while holding it down upon said table; a gang of rippingsaws located in the travel of said fingered bars; said gang of saws being mounted upon downwardly-movable brackets, substantially as described.

3. In a tie-plug machine having atable provided with a cut-off saw, groove-cutting cutter-heads and means for moving the tie-plug blankalong said table; an intermittently-moving push-bar operating transverse the table; a transversely-moving conveyer having a plurality of fingered bars located above said table; and a gang of ripping-saws located in the travel of said conveyer.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ROY K. ORONKHITE. MICHAEL GARLAND. WVitnesses:

A. A. EASTERLY, W. I. GATHOART.

IIO 

